Lesson 138 In the Office

Yajie:  Cam, you can be disorganized sometimes, so we are talking about organization and the office on this week’s Chinese Studio. Welcome to the show, listeners, Wo shi Yajie.
Cam: And wo shi Cam. One item that comes in useful is a filing cabinet… but how do I say that in Chinese?
Yajie: ok, you’ll know it after the key words of the day.

Key Words of the Day

filing cabinet 文件柜(wen2jian4 gui4) printer. 打印机(da3yin4ji1) drawer. 抽屉(chou1ti)  shelf. 架子 (jia4zi) Put it in the filing cabinet. 把它放到文件柜里(ba3 ta1 fang4 dao4 wen2jian4 gui4 li) All in today’s Chinese Studio.

YJ: Now Cam, you may know the Chinese for filing cabinet… do you?
Cam: eh…. wen… gui…
YJ: Almost, Cam. Filing cabinet in Chinese is 文件柜(wen2jian4 gui4)
Cam: 文件柜(wen2jian4 gui4), right.
YJ: 文件(wen2jian4) is file.
Cam: 文件(wen2jian4)
YJ: 柜(gui4), is short for 柜子(gui4zi), which means cabinet.
Cam: 柜(gui4)
YJ: 文件柜(wen2jian4 gui4), filing cabinet.
Cam: 文件柜(wen2jian4 gui4) Yajie, I didn’t catch the Chinese for printer. Could you please remind me of that again?
YJ: sure. It’s打印机(da3yin4ji1)
Cam: 打印机(da3yin4ji1).
YJ: 打印(da3yin4) means to print.
Cam: 打印(da3yin4)
YJ: 机 (ji1), as we mentioned before, it’s short for (ji1 qi4), which means machine.
Cam: 机 (ji1)
YJ: 打印机(da3yin4ji1)printer.
Cam: 打印机(da3yin4ji1).

Conversation1:

Cam: Yajie, how do you say drawer in Chinese?
YJ: Drawer is 抽屉(chou1ti)
Cam: 抽屉(chou1ti)
YJ: Right. the first tone and the light tone.
Cam: 抽屉(chou1ti) then how do you say “shelf” in Chinese?
YJ: It’s架子 (jia4zi)
Cam: 架子 (jia4zi)
YJ: Right. For the one you put books on, it’s 书架 （shu1 jia4）. 书（shu1）means book.
Cam: Got it. 书架 （shu1 jia4）
YJ: so you may the shelf you put CDs on is…
Cam: I know, I know , it must be “ CD架（jia4）”
YJ: Very good. 

Conversation2:

Cam: Yajie, how do I tell my Chinese colleagues to put the file in the filing cabinet when they return it to me?
YJ: You can tell them 把它放到文件柜里(ba3 ta1 fang4 dao4 wen2jian4 gui4 li)
Cam: 把它放到文件柜里(ba3 ta1 fang4 dao4 wen2jian4 gui4 li)
YJ: 把 (ba3), here it sends a signal that we are going to do something. We’ll mention more about it in future programs.
Cam: 把 (ba3)
YJ: 它 (ta1), a pronoun, here it stands for file.
Cam: 它 (ta1)
YJ: 放到 (fang4dao), put something to somewher.
Cam: 放到 (fang4dao)
YJ: 文件柜(wen2jian4 gui4), filing cabinet.
Cam: 文件柜(wen2jian4 gui4)
YJ: 里(li3), means inside of…
Cam: 里(li3)
YJ: 把它放到文件柜里(ba3 ta1 fang4 dao4 wen2jian4 gui4 li)
Cam: 把它放到文件柜里(ba3 ta1 fang4 dao4 wen2jian4 gui4 li), Put it in the filing cabinet.

Conversation3:

Key Words Reminder

filing cabinet 文件柜(wen2jian4 gui4) printer. 打印机(da3yin4ji1) drawer. 抽屉(chou1ti)  shelf. 架子 (jia4zi) Put it in the filing cabinet. 把它放到文件柜里(ba3 ta1 fang4 dao4 wen2jian4 gui4 li) All in today’s Chinese Studio.